A meadow on Round Hill Rd., in Greenwich, Conn. similar to the view seen in Leonard Ochtman's painting "October Morning", part of the Pasture to Pond: Connecticut Impressionism exhibit at the Bruce Museum, in Greenwich, Conn.
Photo: Ned Gerard

A meadow on Round Hill Rd., in Greenwich, Conn. similar to the view...

Two paintings, Childe Hassam's "The Mill Pond", left, and Elmer Livingston MacRae's "Schooner in Ice" are part of the Pasture to Pond: Connecticut Impressionism exhibit at the Bruce Museum, in Greenwich, Conn.
Photo: Ned Gerard

The railroad bridge in Cos Cob can be seen in two paintings, Childe Hassam's "The Mill Pond", and Elmer Livingston MacRae's "Schooner in Ice", which are part of the Pasture to Pond: Connecticut Impressionism exhibit at the Bruce Museum, in Greenwich, Conn.
Photo: Ned Gerard

This view from Greenwich Point Park is similar to that Wilson Irvine's "The Marshes", which is part of the Pasture to Pond: Connecticut Impressionism exhibit at the Bruce Museum, in Greenwich, Conn.
Photo: Ned Gerard

Jeff Boyd, of Greenwich, fishes for striped bass in the waters of Long Island Sound, off of Greenwich Point Part. The location is close to that of an untitled seascape painting by Henry Ward Ranger, which is part of the Pasture to Pond: Connecticut Impressionism exhibit at the Bruce Museum, in Greenwich, Conn.
Photo: Ned Gerard

More Information

Bruce Museum, One Museum Drive, Greenwich. "Pasture to Pond: Connecticut Impressionism" will be on view through June 22. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Admission is $7, $6 for students up to 22 years, $6 for seniors and free for members and children under 5. Free on Tuesday. 203-869-0376, brucemuseum.org.To access the guide-by-cell, call 203-653-6722 and follow the prompts, entering the numbers the correspond with each site. Maps of the tour are available at the Bruce Museum.

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Driving through coastal Greenwich -- an area of busy marinas, humming highways and Colonial homes clustered along the waterfront -- it's easy to miss the scenes that inspired the impressionist painters who lived and worked there during the late-19th and early-20th centuries.

First, see the works, many of which are on view in the museum's latest exhibition, "Pasture to Pond: Connecticut Impressionism." Then, see the sites, all located a stone's throw away from the museum.

"The tour might even inspire you," the guide suggests, "to gain a new perspective on seemingly understated locations previously passed without a second thought."

In other words, to see what the artists saw -- the intimate, bucolic landscapes where American impressionism took root.

Here's what you'll see on the tour:

First stop: 30 Round Hill Road -- After viewing the works in "Pasture to Pond," I drove north from the Bruce to the woodsy environs of backcountry Greenwich. I turned onto Round Hill Road, slowing down to catch a glimpse of the rambling farmhouse where John Henry Twachtman lived and worked. I wanted a closer look. Parking on the side of the road, I tiptoed toward the house, doing my best not to disturb the people living there. From the street, I looked for Horseneck Brook, a rivulet that meanders through the property and a recurring subject of the artist's work. No such luck. Directly across the street, however, was a breathtaking scene: a sweeping, fairy tale meadow that inspired Leonard Octhman's 1919 painting, "October Morning." I sat on the rock wall bordering the expanse, admiring the sunlight creeping through the clouds.

Second stop: 75 Strickland Road -- My next stop was Cos Cob Harbor. I parked at the Bush-Holley House, home of the Greenwich Historical Society and the spiritual headquarters of the Cos Cob Art Colony. It was there that many impressionists, including Elmer Liviston MacRae, honed their skills. Crossing the street to the harbor, I came upon the scene on which MacRae's 1900 painting, "Schooner in the Ice," is based. The piece depicts an oyster sloop sitting motionless as a steam train rolls above the harbor -- a comment on encroaching modernization. If only MacRae could see what the area looks like now: Condos shadow the harbor, myriad pleasure boats crowd the water and I-95 cuts across the landscape.

Third stop: River Road -- From Cos Cob Harbor, I drove north along River Road toward the eastern banks of the Mianus River, the site that inspired George Wharton's 1918 painting of the same name. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see, except for more condos. I tried to visualize what the area looked like in the early-20th century, but to no avail. Wharton's painting would have to do.

Fourth stop: Riverside Avenue -- Traversing the Mianus River, I drove south on Riverside Avenue, not far from the eastern shore of Cos Cob Harbor. There, the water, as on River Road, is blocked by residential development. Frustrated but unwilling to give up, I searched for access. Club Road, a dead end street off Riverside Avenue, was my only chance. Only a waterfront mansion could stop me now. I turned down the street, driving until I came to the Riverside Yacht Club. Success! After getting permission from a groundsman (they may not always be so welcoming, but they were that day), I walked to the edge of a dock where I caught a glimpse of the seaside expanse that inspired Ochtman's painting, "South Winds." It was a gorgeous sight, but I didn't want to overstay my welcome. I jumped in my car and headed to the tour's fifth and final stop.

Fifth stop: Greenwich Point Park -- I continued north on Riverside Avenue, crossing into Old Greenwich and south onto South Beach Avenue. Approaching the entrance to Greenwich Point Park, I was asked for a park pass. (My press pass did the trick.) Just past the entrance to the park on the western shore of Greenwich Cove, I spotted the reed-covered marshlands depicted in Wilson Irvine's painting, "The Marshes." I continued on Tod's Driftway, circling the peninsula, until I reached Greenwich Community Sailing. Stopping at a nearby parking lot, I sat on a rock wall and lazed beside the gentle lapping wavelets that flowed onto Henry Ward Ranger's seaside panorama, "Untitled (Seascape)." I could see Eliot's Point, a tiny peninsula, in the distance. A light mist hung over the water. In this case, it was easy to see what the artist saw -- pristine, glistening and free of surrounding residential development, the scene looked just like it did in Ranger's painting. Many of the sites that inspired the American impressionists are disguised by urban development. But there are times, as in Greenwich Point Park, when they come into full view.

Bruce Museum, One Museum Drive, Greenwich. "Pasture to Pond: Connecticut Impressionism" will be on view through June 22. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Admission is $7, $6 for students up to 22 years, $6 for seniors and free for members and children under 5. Free on Tuesday. 203-869-0376, brucemuseum.org. To access the guide-by-cell, call 203-653-6722 and follow the prompts, entering the numbers that correspond with each site. Maps of the tour are available at the Bruce Museum.